Wheeled figure toy.



, L. MORSE.

WHEE'LED FIGURE TOY. APPLICATION FlLED FEB. 1.19M-

. WITNESSES mvmme Leo Mame Patented Apr. 17,1917.

ATTORNEYS UNITE STATES rarnr curios.

LEO, MORSE, on NEW YORK, 1v. Y.

WHEELED FIGURE TOY.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LnoMonsn, a cit zen of the United States,and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, inthe county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved WVheeled Fig ure Toy, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. g

This invention relates to figure toys and has particular reference to a device of th1s character mounted upon wheels for rolling thereof along a table, floor or other surface.

Among the objects of the invention is to construct a toy of unusually attractive appearance, the same having the property of causing the rotation of a portion thereof around a vertical axis coincidentally with the translation of the device along a horizontal surface.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy, the main portion of which is adapted to maintain an upright position automatically under practically all conditions.

Another object of the invention is to produce a toy of an attractive or fantastic appearance that is adapted to maintain itself erect automatically, even though supported upon two wheels only.

A still further object is to provide a toy for children, the same comprising a body having a transverse axle journaled therein, supporting means for the axleand body, and gravity controlled means carried by the body to hold the body upright irrespective of the movement or position of the device along the support for 'the wheels.

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention consists in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and while the invention is not restricted tothe exact details of construction disclosed or suggested herein, still for the purpose of illustrating apractical embodiment thereof reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing my improvement in one ofmany of the possible embodiments thereof;

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same; and i Fig- 3 is a vertical transverse section.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, I show a figure toy comprising a Specification of Letters Patent;

, of rotation to beimparted to the body 10, preferably hollow, of any desired configuration, but which may be decorated or formed in any suitable manner to represent some real or fantastic figure of an attractive nature. An axle 11 is passed horizontally through the body, preferably close belowthe central diameter thereof, and a pair of supporting wheels 12 are secured to the ends of the axle on opposite sides of the body. The relation, however, of the axle to the central diameter of the body will de- Patented Apr. 17, 1917. Application filed February 7, 1917. Serial No. 147,061.

pend upon the relative size of the body and the wheels, the main consideration in this particular being that the bottom portion of i the body must swing above the plane of the surface supporting the wheels. A gravity member, such as a weight, 13 is secured within the bottom portion of the body and serves under ordinary conditions automatically to maintain the body erect irrespective of the rotation of the wheels and axle. A staple 14, or its equivalent, is connected to the front portion of the body to which a cord or thelike may be connected for the purpose of i lrawing the device along the supporting surace.

15 indicates a member carried by the body, preferably above the body where it may represent a head. Thismember is secured to a vertical axle 16, around the axis of which the head is adapted to rotate. The axle 16 extends downwardly through a sleeve or neck member 17 fixed to the upper portion of the body. The member 15, as above indicated, may be designed or decorated to represent the head of a doll or one or more animals, either of a real or fantastic nature, and while I may hereinafter refer to this part as a head, I wish it to be understood that this term is broad enough to cover any device adapted to be supported for rotation around an axis upon the body at an angle to the main supporting axle 11.

Any suitable means maybe provided to effect the rotation of the head automatically. For this purpose I provide a pair of friction elements 18 and 19, secured respectively to the axle 11 and the inner end of the axle 16. The friction member 18 is secured not far remote from the center of the axle 11, such distance being determined by the rate head. The weight of the head and axle 16 is suflicient to. insure the frictional driving connection between the two friction members. I do not Wish, however, to be unnecessarily limited to friction elements for insuring the rotation of one of the axles from the other.

This device may be made entirely of celluloid, except perhaps the Weight 13, or any other suitable material may be employed in its construction. It may be made strong and substantial at a low cost and in practice has proved to be exceedingly attractive as Well as harmless to the children who play with it.

I claim:

1. In a figure toy, the combination of a non-rotary body, supporting means for said body adapted to rotate about a horizontal axis, a head for the body, and means to automatically rotate the head around its axis at an angle to the supporting axis While the toy is being transported.

2. In a figure toy, the combination of a hollow body, a horizontal supporting axle for the body extending therethrough, a pair of supporting Wheels secured to the ends of the axle on opposite sides of the body, a Weight Within the body below the axle serving to hold'the body from rotation and erect, a head for the body, an axle secured to the head and extending into the body, and devices carried respectively by the two axles serving to cause the rotation of the head around the axis of its axle While the toy is being transported along a supportmg surface.

LEO MORSE.

Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

